this is awesome

Arrested Development Memorabilia

there are a lot of cool things on there. i really want the "You're Killing Me, Buster" banner. (or the shirt that says, "Check your lease, man, because you're living in F**k City!")

woooooweee!

man, was that some sweet ass LOST last night or what!?

i feel more informed and confused than ever.


4 months of LOST deprivation here i come!

Jersey Bound

So I'm leaving for New Jersey early on Saturday. I'll be there until around August 6 or 7. At that time, we'll move into our new apartment at Stewart's Ferry (325 Stone's River Cove, Nashville, TN 37214).

I'm looking forward to the summer. It will be nice to have access to greater New York's food and culture and actually have enough money to experience them. If any of you want to come visit, feel free. We have a nice apartment in downtown Newark.

Oksana will be gone to Ukraine for all of June. It will be a difficult time for her to mourn with her family. So I'll be back in celibate-bachelor mode for a month. It is the first time we've been apart for more than a week since we've been dating, and our first time more than a night apart since we got married. I think it will be difficult to readjust to not really having anyone around. But she'll be back on June 30.

Anyway, I hope everyone here has a nice summer. Again, you are all welcome to come visit. Let me know if you are interested!

Insert Title Here

Things I currently dig....

Cherry sours
Sunflower-seed bread
My new dance class
Pomegranate Margaritas
Chicken Soup from Chick-Fil-A
"Dummy", an album by UK band Portishead
Stadium Arcadium
Kathleen Edwards (she's a alt. country artist... kicks ass)
Rose McGowan movies
Old horror movies

It's a little silly, but we needed a new post, and these are my new-little-favorite- things-that-make-life-worth-living. In your face.

Lost, Ahoy!

I don't frequent forums at all, so I don't know if this has been explored much. If so, provide a link in the comments section. I noticed a commercial for the Hanso Foundation (those responsible for the Dharma Initiative) on last week's episode, and it completely slipped my mind until I saw it again this week. I went to the site, played around with it for a minute, and promptly gave up. Still, I think this sort of internet tie-in to shows (e.g. Arrested Development) is a really cool trend. Sound off if you find/know anything.

http://www.letyourcompassguideyou.com/

Arrested Development Season 3

...comes out August 29 on DVD.

so, you know, that's cool.

(i miss it so much.)

Awesome phone

I was looking for a classic rotary telephone bell ringtone (still haven't found a good one that I can lift without paying for) and I ran across this. It is an awesome idea. Unfortunately, I lack the technical know-how after about a third of the way through (they lost me right after remove the casing). Anybody here know enough to throw one of these together? I'd love to carry one around and talk on it, as idiotic as it might seem.

free 411

hey, you guys should dial this number instead of '411' so you dont get the $1 charge or whatever. i tried it and it works just like normal '411'.

1-800-373-3411 (1-800-FREE-411)

in case you hadn't seen this...

(also, i wanted to try embeding the video. pretty sweet, eh?)



("'f', tucker!")

oh and this was on Billy's page:

All work and no play... makes Hayley SMASH

Sooo... does anyone have any advice about student loans (other than "they suck").

I am going to have to take out abour 20K in Stafford loans via the govn't, and am deeply bummed out by this.

Anything? Anyone? Bueller?

Query

Those of you that live in the Nashville area: are you planning on being there the majority of the summer or are you going to be gone at some point? I was considering the idea of a vacation, specifically to that place where I used to live and some of you currently live, but wanted to make sure that some (hopefully most) of you would be around. I was thinking early August-ish, but nothing definite so far. Let me know via the comments section.

why can't every day be Saturday, May 13th?

hey everbody (who's in town)...

if you didn't get an email: tomorrow we're having a good old fashioned pizza and mini golf birthday party for my dear wife (and good friend), Jesse. if you can and would like to come party down with us (cause it'll be so sweet you'll crap your pants*), it will be as follows:

Pizza Hut - 5.0pm
(on the Corner of Lebanon Rd. & McGavock Pike in Donelson)

Glow Golf - following the Pizza Hut
(Opry Mills mall)

and then we go party like it's may 2006 wherever we feel like. hope to see you.

[(615) 715-7354]



*extra pants will not be provided. please bring as needed.

Phone Police

Story

Does this bother anyone else?

FYI: I tried again to fix the link... when I put it in the appropriate "link fixture" it disappears completely. Someone should fix it though...

Sad News

Yesterday afternoon we found out that Oksana's mother passed away yesterday morning. She died of a heart attack. She was 46. She battled poor health last year, but pulled through and was by all accounts on the road to recovery. So it was a big surprise to everyone.

Those of you who pray, please pray for Oksana and her family. She's understandably upset. She can't go to the funeral because it is on Saturday (they don't embalm or bury on a Sunday, so they can't move the funeral back). Since it's about an 18 hour trip with layover and immigration/customs she would have had to leave last night to make it. We're going to do some special stuff at our Ukrainian Church in Conyers (traditional third day [Sunday], ninth day [next Saturday] and 40th day [?-she'll be in Ukraine and I'll be in Jersey] services)

...

(the guy on the right is scootie b.)

Overpopulation

Professor's overpopulation views stir debate

The professor the article is talking about is at UTex, and I wrote him a letter saying that I support his views and his right to express them. I also mentioned that I agreed with him to an extent, since the planet is overdue for a "population crash" at any moment, and we abuse our resources and simply CONSUME way too much with no (or too little overall) regard for sustaining. I didn't hear from him for over three weeks, and today, he emailed me and a few others who sent supportive emails, and attached synopses of his research and theories. I can't post them here (too long), but email me if you wish, and I can forward them to you. They are really interesting, and make perfect sense from a biological and sociological POV.

Fix the link... I'm at work.

from todd, with love

todd sent me this yesterday. i dont know if anyone's seen this or not. (i had seen "my anus is bleeding" before, but that was all.) if you haven't, they really are something quite special. so please, bask...



josh

truth or fiction?

0k so i was sitting here studying and/or watching TV for afew hours tonight and that combined with a recent (not too uplifting) event in my social life got me thinking some... of the couple shows i watched about people in their mid-late 20s-- every single character was in some state of a relationship-- some married, and the rest (majority) in some stage of a serious relationship... this was consistent between several shows without even 1 exception. not just the "bad" people, but the kind and good-hearted people with moral fiber/smarts/careers and whatnot.... everyone eventually succeeded-- nobody who tried, once or a couple times at this ended up a lone or feeling lonely or whatever... and that left me where i am now, after trying with a few of the rare single girls in pharmacy school--- is that how it is? i mean... of the 7-10 of us on here- who's single? Me and HG? do you find that your peers/friends follow about the same ratios or is that pretty accurate?

also i was going to ask-- i didnt get much of a response on my personal blog so i'll ask it here- whats the deal with dancing? how is it (asking you here girls) that guys who can are at such an advantage to those of us who think its kinda scary (ok i guess i answered my own question)

i dunno... i'm cool... i'm doing fine, i've just hit a slump--- and being slumpy is often a prime time for blogging so take this with a grain of salt-- ok- gonna study some more- holla!- Scott

Lost Stuff

I was reading about the drunken-I'm-indepndent-don't-tell-me-what-to-do life of Ana-Lucia Rodriguez, and I saw this link to an old (Oct. 2005) Lost story. Doesn't she know he's got a problem with heroin? Plus he's always scheming with con-men to steal guns and drag Asian women through the jungle. Plus, he's a hobbit. I would think that she could do way better. He's got to be the least attractive person on the island. That includes Bernard and the bearded guy (and even Ethan, who looked pretty freaky).

Some might say I'm confusing the "real world" with the imaginary world of Lost. But I have no reason to believe Lost isn't real. What with the smoke monsters and murderous pack of crash survivors, and hatches and so forth.

Seriously though, gals, would you date a guy who looks like this? He kind of looks Semi-Down-syndromey, if you ask me.

Now before you say anything, I realize this is just stupid "entertainment gossip." I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is what you get when the board dies down, crappy crappy content. But for those of us who aren't Leanne, this might be at least a little interesting.

man, this party died fast

sooooo, do you... Myspace? i do and Death Cab for Cutie is my friend!


also, your thoughts on todd's new rabbit...

old school

so this is a picture i took of my roommate Aryan- lives on the 2nd floor... me and him and Chun were in my room and i was like... wow... i'm so messed up from this leg thing that i cant even wear half my clothes anymore so i gave him some shorts and some t-shirts... we ran across one t-shirt that i had never worn. Its the one that Josh and Jesse made me in Undergrad- i think it was junior year- and i was scared to wear it in public because i thought people would make fun of me... but aryan thinks its funny and isnt scared to wear it- so he's gonna wear it to shcool tomorrow... also i got those shorts about a year and a half ago as a present, but they are 33 waist- the tighest pants i own and i dont think i'll ever be able to make it back to that this lifetime... so i figured its either give them to aryan or goodwill... and i know aryan better... Holla 

Happy Bunny Day!

Enjoy your candy/mass/church, etc.

My mom is holding my Easter basket hostage until I come home in May. Wench.

Both sides are never right, right?

ha.

I read THIS article recently and thought it pertinent.
What do you all think? I had no idea remittance was such a big deal.


p.s. Josh got his synthesizer today--I tried to wipe that smile off his face, but could not. Also pictured, our neighbor Todd(aka ToddII).

Jobtastic!

(i must)


Fix the link if you must!

Top ten jobs in America right now.... Scootie B. has #9.

gotta see this...

exhibit A:
leprechaun news segment from mobile AL

exhibit B:
music video based on the news report

exhibit C:
see picture at top- its a T-shirt design


this could be one of the funniest things i've seen in alooong time... this is great. I credit my brother Todd with the discovery- i'm just the messenger passing on the good word.

Make sure you wath the entire news cast (maybe 2 minutes tops) and then watch the music video made from it... its just great stuff...

Attention Losties (Leanne, you can ignore this)

Interesting news:

Lost to be offered online

I'm happy (I'm sure iTunes isn't)... but do you think this is the future of television? Personally, I think it's overdue. I expected to see this stuff years ago.

Pulling Up the Ladder....

Today in Houston there are HUGE demonstrations against the new immigration bills. Literally, I am watching thousands of people marching downtown right now past the city hall and courthouse. What are everyone's ideas on this? Are there any big protests in Memphis, Nashville? I know Colorado has a very significant Latino/a population... any action up there? In St. Louis? Alabama?

Just curious... gimme your opinions, of course while observing HG's "Rules of Internet Conduct" (bitches, ya'll).

(what it looks like right now)

ok so i've had this facial hair for about 21 months or so... and i'm thinking its about time to cut it...
i need to take this to a vote- tell me what you think. I think it just makes me look kinda old... and i'm tired of looking old. But maybe that would help me seem more credible on my rotations, so i dunno... people definitly seem to listen to what i have to say a lot more now at the pharmacy than before... but i was at my fraternity's formal the other night (i might have some pictures for you later) and i noticed the facial hair was few and far between... maybe that was just a 2004 thing... i dunno... i just feel like i keep looking older, but then again, i guess thats how its supposed to go... something would be wrong if i started looking younger, right... ha...

Bookworming

So, I have re-started my book project. Thus far, I have one complete chapter, a full outline of the other 10-12 chapters, and about 40 pages of loose notes, paragraphs to work in and characters in-the-making.

I am going to try to work you all in (with different names but similar character attributes... though HG still has to be an abbreviation). But, I need approval. If anyone does NOT wish to be a character, express it now. A small publisher has already expressed interest, and I'm not in the business of rewriting complete chapters.

I'll probably mention the group in the chapter where I come home to visit, and we all get together in our usual way. Like I said, speak now... cause I have to print the confirmations out for the publisher eventually.

A brief synopsis: A recent college grad moves to the big city to carve out a life for herself. Life sets in, jobs are hard to find and there are early 20s-style encounters with booze, men and she realizes that life in the city is MUCH less glamourous than "Sex and the City". Tested audiences in my target range have responded well.... so let me know!

Hatch Door Maps

check it out, Lost-ees:

Map 1

Map 2

innnnnnteresting.

Bring It Back

i don't know if any of you (i can guess... 2?) even know who Mates of State is, but we got to see them perform sunday night. it was sweet. their CDs don't do their musical funness any justice.




(they're husband and wife too!)

Happy Brithboy, Vajohnna

So, Johnna's bday was yesterday... I sent her an e-card and it bounced back as no good.

Happy Birthday to Johnna... and give us a new email address, sucka.

Arrested Arrested Development...?

(you need to type in the words you want to be displayed as the link (such as "Hayley Says Click Here", then highlight those words, then create the link...))

Hayley Says Click Here

Josh... fix the link if you don't mind.

So, AD's main guy has quit... the hits just keep on coming. And Showtime was going to pick it up, too! Boo.

Soooo....

Anyone else see V for Vendetta? I was very pleased with how it turned out. King Kong comes out on DVD today for all you slackers who missed it in the theater, and cool people that are planning on making a smart purchase. On a sad note, according to CHUD.com, Mitchell Hurwitz has quit Arrested Development. He said he would be a consultant of sorts if the series was picked up by Showtime, but either way this is a bad omen.

cruel?

or incredibly lucky!




your thoughts...

because i care

... so i finally finished my 3 month-long public service project with the fraternity...
it kinda was hard because i had to be involved in every single step of it, including all 15, 3-hour public events... but its all done... and that makes me happy... i have some pictures because you probably have no idea what's going on... basically we made a display board about a health topic (avian flu this year) and some brochures and we went around to places like libraries, grocery stores and pharmacies and peddled our information... and most of the time it drifted to other drugs and medical questions... i thought it was going to be hard, but it turns out i might have actually learned afew things about drugs these last few years... so thats been cool... ANYWAYS... here are some pictures holla: www.pictures.uk.net.edu.cool

Law School and Laptops

Hayley's Platinum Plus Law School and Laptops Link

Sorry if the link doesn't show up... I'm at work.

At University of Memphis, the students are boycotting/protesting a professor that banned laptops in class. I understand her argument.(that they keep people from processing info), and Sewanee had the same policy. The laptops were distracting in small spaces (clicking all the time), and my profs. thought it kept people from listening and processing info in favor of simply remembering it long enough to get it on the computer, thus cheapening the “learning experience”.
I had an old-school English prof who calmly walked over to a laptop user, and closed his computer while he was typing, never ONCE breaking stride or lecture. V. impressive.
LeTal and CBry- does the laptop help… or do they just make you use them?

you got... sitemeter

this is a really great sitemeter that jeff whittle showed me back in my website glory days. i think you'll find it really fun and interesting. you can click on the icon at the bottom of the page and see all sorts of information about who's visiting the site, when, where they come from, where they go to... i mean, you name it and it's available to see. so have fun with it and definitely go check it out.

one question. how would you prefer the meter to look?

A)


B)


C)


D)


(i've always liked the last one because of it's subtle look, but let me know what you think. i also like A)

Mea Culpa mea culpa mea maxima culpa

Ok.. I'm not sure exactly what just happened, but I want to assure you all that it was not intentional.

Josh said I could edit my comments on a page called haloscan.com

I went there, registered, and it didn't list any of my comments. So I played arount with it and somehow managed to erase ALL the comments. Nowhere did it say this was going to happen.. NOWHERE.

I'm really sorry. I guess we get to start anew... now that it is spring and all...

Let the abuse begin (just think, the first comment of a new era can be highly critical of my mistake... i swear it was an honest mistake)

can you guys help me out?

so i'm doing this window display thing about the avian flu... and we've got some great contact numbers so far, actually with some hard work i've been able to set a fraternity record of about 3,025 through brochures and direct contacts... BUT we've got a website which is basically a compilation of all the information i put on my display board..(i.e... its all me)... and there is a counter at the bottom and i get to count every count as a contact (the website is on the back of the brochures too)... so if you guys could maybe all visit this (and no more than once per person, i'm not trying to cheat or anything) that would help my numbers out... and thats a good thing!
looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend, first time i've been home since early january -

here is the website (and feel free to explore around the fraternity site if you are curious as to what kind of organization i'm the VP of! woot!)

Statutory Interpretation

Don't be too intimidated by the title of this post. I have a very simple task for all of you.

I'm sitting here in my little conference room that I use as an office in the law firm I work for, and the senior partner (who must be nearly 80) comes in and hands me a piece of paper. "This is going to be debated in the General Assembly next week. Tell me what it means." I proceeded to read it, then he very loudly said "Now what in the FUCK does that mean?" After the moment of surprise for his choice of words, I read it again and realized it doesn't really make sense. But since we legally minded folk sometimes fail to see the forest in all the trees, I thought I'd elicit some ideas from the rest of you (Todd- you can participate despite your legal mind in training). Many of you did Youth in Government, so maybe you understand.

"If a motor vehicle is involved in an accident and there is more than (1) driver of such motor vehicle, only a driver found at fault shall be charged with a violation of the rules of the road complied in title 55, chapter 8."

Read it again carefully and tell me what it means. If it is written correctly, I can think of only two situations where this makes sense. 1) Fire trucks with a "back driver" or 2) Drivers education cars with two "drivers."

My other idea (the more likely one) is that it is a terribly written attempt to keep non-at-fault drivers from being cited when they get in an accident with another driver (in another car). Based on the apparent average IQ of a Tennessee lawmaker, this seems to be just a horribly written attempt at that.

Last thing- I realize this isn't TERRIBLY interesting, but nobody is talking about anything else... so this is what you get.

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

Bewaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare the ides of March...

Gamers/Violence Lovers, Beware...

I highly doubt that this would make it to an actual law, but I could see it happening in Tennessee over many other states.

http://www.gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=3018

I read this on a couple of other sites as well. If you don't enjoy video games, then this isn't a problem for you. If you do, I suppose you could always buy/rent online. Age restriction is acceptable, but this seems like excessive and unneccessary censorship to me. Book burning, anyone?

recap

here's a recap of my white coat ceremony with some pics, if anyone is interrested

For British Eyes Only...

I finally finished Arrested Development last night, with a feeling of satisfaction and despair. From episode 1, that show was fantastic, and it just kept getting better and better. I just can't believe that's it. How could Fox cancel such a good show? I guess they judge all shows by ratings, but I can't believe a program of such high quality could be cut down in the prime of it's life. Was it too self-referential? Was the humor too sophisticated, over-the-top, or off-beat for mainstream America? What do you guys think? It seems that TV is trying to pull itself out of this downward spiral with the few really good shows that have come about recently, but it keeps getting dragged back down. And what the hell is the deal with this "doing things with celebrities" reality show trend? I don't give two shits about ice skating, why should I care about ice skating with some has-been that was on an obscure TV show in the 80's? Seriously, come on.

Nothing much going on in the personal front, mostly just studying for the MCAT again. I've come to severely dislike standardized tests. How will this determine if I would be a good doctor? I know they need a way to narrow down the number of med-school applicants, but devoting a Saturday to taking a test that I have no idea how to study for and will never feel prepared for irks me on many levels. And it costs $210. Seems like a scam to me.

B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

sooo... me and my roommate went to the local kroger, often affectionately called the "crack kroger"... and i'll let you figure out why... and we did some shopping, just a quick in and out deal. I got some diet mountin dew, bananas, and milk... so we get out to the parking lot and, to my suprise someone asked me for some money (and by suprise, i mean that happens no less than twice every time i go shopping there)... it was a little old lady... she walked over and got right up next to me like (not unlike the close-talker from seinfield) and asked me for some money for some food... my reply:

"well i just have my credit card, i'm sorry"
"but i'm just really hungry"
"well i have some bananas, you want one of those?"
"i need some food... i'm really hungry"
"yeah... you want a banana?"
"no i'm really hungry... i just need something to eat"
"sure, no problem... so 2 bananas? would that do it?"
"no i need food... can you give me some money??"
"no, but i can give you a banana"
"i just... i'm hungry... i need food... need some chicken... "
"sooo is that a yes or a no for the banana?"
"i'm just really hungry"
"yeah i bet, you want a banana? i've got some of those right here in my car, you can have one... or two?"
".....i dont really like bananas"
"ok...well... see ya"

gotta love memphians

booyah, brokeback

so jess and i went to the Oscars last night. it was a lot of fun.

(a 3 piece suit? how do you like them apples?


so how awesome was that when Three 6 Mafia won best song for Hustle & Flow? that was the craziest. i mean, a rap group just won an Academy Award. and i was extremely happy when Crash won Best Picture. i was pretty happy in general. i was really afraid Brokeback was going to pull in way more than it did. (while it did win 3, i can't argue with those).

anyway, hope you all had a good oscar night. happy week 9 of 52.

picture pages...

Soooo I thought i might take some pictures... they are pretty random, so i'll try to explain... from left to right:

1) 3 days after it snowed afew weeks ago, i looked out my window to see that my big snowman was looking alot smaller... someone had knocked him halfway down! i saw som elittle kids there and i kinda just assumed they were the ones who did it... but after i watched for a minute, i saw that they were actually building it back up to correct snowman proportion... it kinda made me happy that i was wrong about them
2) 2/14/06... being my first single valentines day since 2003, i figured it would be pretty crappy... but i just decided i'd buy some little things for afew single girls i knew and spread the love and just be happy anways... and it worked. I had a visit to my applied therapeutics class (the one where we present, discuss, and get questioned on patients at a memphis hospital) i decided to go for the pink tie and pink-ish shirt to celebrate the holiday

3) OK... so there is this poster of a half naked girl that says "study hard" at the house... the last guy who lived here was somehwat of a patriarch and his last request before he left was that we leave that poster up... and when i was putting together our fraternity composite pictures, the photographer brought some large prints from last year, and i was just one of the random one he brought... so he let me have it and then i had the idea to put it up over her face... i mean.. the tie kinda matches... it creeps some people out... but i like it.

4) these are the movies i've got right now... 2 of them arent mine, and 2 of them are kinda weird ones that i wouldnt have bought myself but someone got FOR me for a present "go" and "true romance"... so i really dont have that great of a selection... i mean... i've actually got 4 or 5 more decent movies around here... i just need to round them up and put them in their place...

5) ok so i was looking at my book case... and i figured it was time to do a lineup of some of the heavy hitters... and i figued i'd stand on it... i dunno... YES i know everyone has big books from undergrad or law school or wherever, and i'm not trying to say my stack is bigger or better (and thats not all of them, by the way)... just saying... they make a nice little stack...

6) thats a closer look at them... added the tennis ball for comparison

7) thats my bedside table... if you notice, there are a handful of drugs there... and i promise you, they are all either ibuprofen, or tylenol... just in different dosage forms- extended release, quick release... why are they there? because when you wake up every single night with pretty bad hip and leg pain... its not a matter of IF you need to take something to go to sleep, its a matter of how SOON you can get it in you and go back to sleep so you arnt up for an hour and a half... so the quicker the better...

8) thats my computer desk... i've got a desk directly behind that chair, that i can put pharmacy stuff on so i can just turn my chair around 180 degrees and be at a totally different desk... it works... and let me say... if you've got an extra monitor, and a computer with a port to add in an additional monitor, DO IT! it is so awesome being able to multi-task... aka- watch movies on one, and type on the other... chat on one, and read on the other... its seamless- i can tell you how if you want to know... but its really changed the way i surf- i totally recommend it...

9) lastly, thats me in front of the poster i have hanging over my mirror in my room--
it has a picture of a guy holding up his fist and smiling while showing the camera a C- history test... the quote at the bottom says "SUCCESS: It may pay to get As but Cs get degrees" and under that in smaller text "ancient chineese proverb"... which i dont really think it is... ha...
but its something inspirational to look at for those of us who still have to measure our inner worth by one of 5 letters... yikes... i think i'll be glad when thats not happening anymore...

other than that... all is going well... we have or "white coat ceremony" this week where we get our custom fitted jackets with our names inscribed on them and the special "UT college of pharmacy" patch on the right sleeve... woot... i just like all the pockets... i try to put something in every single one just so i feel like i'm getting all the worth i can out of them...

discussion question:
rhode island is neither a road or an island... discusss

Seems like an opportune time to post

Most of you have met my sister, Kristina. She can be a little over-dramatic. Well, over the summer, she told me something I've carried with me, half in speculation. She told me about how lots of young women get married and really have a sort of identity crisis for a while. She said that you want so much to be a good wife that you feel(for days or for months) like that's all you can be. She explained that it's a process of breaking one's self down to one thing, when that one challenge is all you have room for. What you eventually learn to do is, slowly and carefully build yourself back. Eventually, your individuality won't necessarily clash with the duties that come with being 1/2 of a successful team.
In the summer, I thought she was just being dramatic. And now, at the tail-end of winter, I can attest that(at least in my case) she was onto something.

The post-baccalaureate year is really not fun! At least getting married has cushioned the blow and I'm not in Nashville, totally disconnected. I'm not that fond of my full-time salaried job. I'm still learning how to function in a way that is helpful to my colleagues; I'm fairly new at it. To be honest, I feel like this period in my working life is something similar to a hero's trial. I pray to GOD that graduate school is in my near future, that I will eventually find work I'm passionate about.If you ask, I will let on that I have a few ideas for that. a few.

i'm boring aren't i? you've stopped reading, so now I can really get crazy and not use ANY punctuation! or can i.

Let's see~Dudley's getting pretty big now, but aren't we all. Josh and I have an appointment tomorrow night with a trainer at the YMCA--the first of 4 meetings in this 12 week shape-up thing. We're using Bonnaroo as our goal, since it'll be hot out there and lots of people won't be wearing clothes. I've got my hopes up for this personal trainer thing, but fully doubt it'll be like they spotlight on E!, whipping those celebs into shape.
We've been hanging out with some people lately that I never really knew in high school, like Alison(Grewing) and Mike Nash and Billy Hammock and Jody Southards(band buddies,all of them). So that's cool. We're also currently church-hunting and have visited a couple of really really "different" ones. yikes. And you thought I was extreme?!

I guess I'd also like to mention that Josh and I are probably up for, or atleast will consider, another road-trip and/or inexpensive travel outing with any of you guys. Bonnaroo is June16-19th, but we're open to a long weekend, an overnight campout(NOT at my parents property...ever again. what an uncomfortable night!), or something else. So share your ideas. We might even be willing to come to you.

Jason Myatt--when is the wedding? I remember it was tentatively set for June.
Matt Rogers--when are you going to famous? How's that going?
Johnna~Where even are you? Josh said your email came back to him. Let's get together some time.
Scott--(i just know you like being included.scott rules.)

Alright. Til next time!
(Oh and we attended a Marijuana Criminalization debate at Vandy last night. You can discuss that if you like.)

Cartoons and Violence

http://blog.stopanncoulter.com/

A friend of mine from Sewanee maintains an anti-Ann Coulter website. This week, Coulter's column was on the violence over the Muslim cartoons. Check it out and her column if you want to get two different sides.

Also, apologies if anyone is a fan of Coulter and her work. Scott (my friend) takes her argument, breaks it down and contradicts all of her points.

You've been warned.

Bonnaroo

Anyone who didn't receive the Bonnaroo email, consider this:
http://www.bonnaroo.com/2006/

It's a 3-day concert event, with so many great bands. Yeah, it's way expensive. Yes, it means you'd have to possibly take off work/school.

But if you're interested, let Josh or I know! :)

We now interrupt this broadcast....

Hayley’s news in brief:

The job is still great. I had almost forgotten what it was like to ENJOY my work, and not just feel bound to it by duty, money, need for survival, etc. We’re going to be switching dockets soon, so, I’ll get to gain experience with more state cases. Almost all of my work has been federal docket, so state might be a little different…. Texas laws are strange about some things. The perks are great, the hours nice and flexible, and the people I work with respect me and know I do a good job. Awesome.

Volunteering is going slow, though. I signed up to volunteer (again) with Planned Parenthood’s main surgical campus in Houston. I passed the background check and security clearance to be a “scout”, meaning I escort people to and from their cars, shielding them from the wacko protestors. I was supposed to being in January, but they had a protestor incident, and I think the security is doing some switching up as well. Hopefully, though, I can being again in late February or beginning of March. It’s a bit of a sticky situation… every now and then, one of the teachers from Jack’s school takes a bunch of KIDS down there to protest on the weekends. I don’t have a problem with it… and he respects my decision (he wants to get involved too, but doesn’t want to run into any teachers, so he comes to the speakers and mixers with me). I might have to answer a few questions at the school’s Christmas party, or something though.

I’m still waiting to hear back from law schools. U of Maine, U of Denver and LSU are out, and I’m waiting on all the rest… though I have “you’ve advanced to the last round of application review” letters from most of my schools now. I called the U of Houston law center, and they said that at this point, “no news is good news”, and if you haven’t been rejected… you’ve probably made it to the final round. Well, you all know how serene and patient I am…. I want to know NOW, DAMMIT.

Jack asked me to move in with him. I said yes… with the provision that I get into law school in Houston. If I end up somewhere else, he’ll wait a year and keep teaching, promoting the band, etc., then move to where I am. His band (Archer Avenue) is the second-highest selling ITunes band in Germany for the past three weeks. Just under Night Rider himself… David Hasselhoff. But they DO love the Hoffmeister there… The band is in talks for a summer tour, and if the European charts keep up… an eventual Euro-tour, as well as playing (hopefully) at Whitney’s wedding in October.

Regardless of the band’s tours, the “Jack and Hayley 2006- The Living in Sin Tour” will commence in late July. I’m a little nervous and apprehensive, but we’ve been doing trial runs with living @ each other’s places, switching each week. It’s been working, though I am still getting used to him leaving things on the floor (are men genetically predisposed to throwing their clothes on the FLOOR?!?!), leaving dishes on the counter NEXT to the sink, instead of putting them IN the sink, and the “who’s making dinner” tiffs. I think it’ll work though… we had a little sit down and made plans for grocery shopping, meals, etc. Budgeting with another person makes things a little cheaper for both of us… if I can keep Jack away from buying $3 designer sodas… he loves them. We’ll get a big loft or townhouse and settle in, I suppose. Cramming the two of us with the cat and dog into a 700sq ft place is a bit of a stretch. Ah well, it’s still fun and fresh… hopefully the household drudgery won’t set in for a while.

I’m posing a scenario/thought to you all that might be a little controversial, but it’s an issue here in Houston now… here goes:

Suppose you go to a private institution, and this private school’s theology dept. offers extra credit based on kids (13-15 yr. olds) participating and picketing an abortion clinic. Now, the kids that do not go for whatever reason get NO extra credit, and the teacher is advocating, supporting and leading the group to the clinic. Is this ok?

Talk amongst yourselves… I’m a bit verklempt.

C.Butt Co., Inc. presents: josh censors himself (...sort of)

i had originally posted an entry here regarding my current feelings about the Muslim situation. however, i was a bit concerned that someone might get offended(?) by it and i didn't want to start anything. but at the same time i feel very strongly about this issue and what i wrote. so as a compromise i posted it on my blog and decided to provide a link to it on this one. this way you can read it if you like. obviously, since i posted it here first, i wanted to share it with everyone, but i suppose i understand if you dont care to read it. so... here it is:

click here if... uh... you like stuff.

thanks

woxy.com

i dont know if any of you listen to or have ever listened to woxy.com, but if you have and would like to support them, now is when they need it the most. if you've never heard of them then probably disregard this, but if you have then you know how incredible a station it is. well, they're really struggling right now with support and need it more than ever. they're going to a $9.95/mo rate for the CD quality stream and if that doesnt help they probably will get shut down. the rate doesn't start till Feb 12 or so, so if you know anyone that likes independent music (eg. someone that listens to college radio) tell them to check it out. there's no way they wont like it. anyway, if you're interested check it out...





in other news, this friday (2/10) is the season (series) finale of Arrested Development. if anyone is interested in having a brouhaha in honor of the show that night, i think my house will be the location. not my apartment, but my house in MJ. we're being presented with the classic "my parents are out of town and i have the whole house to myself" scenario here and i feel like we whould accept the invitation. so anyone interested, please let me know and we can plan accordingly.

and finally, where the crap is everyone (refering to the dozen or so listed to the right)?? did bryan and i run everyone but pappert off with our "tough love" attitudes present in all entries/comments?

How right you were

So I finally started watching season 1 of Arrested Development, and I can say after 3 episodes that all of you were absolutely right. It is great right from the beginning. I was honestly skeptical, just because most TV sitcoms are only good for what they are. This goes beyond my expectations. Thanks for the recommendation, and screw Fox!

the nominations are out

here are the Oscar nominations for 2006


(go Crash and Terrance Howard)

A History of Violence

Has anyone else seen this movie? I finally got the chance last night and I am curious what others opinions might be. I, for one, thought it was good, but wasn't sure if I liked it, exactly. How about Brokeback Mountain? Anyone else see that one? This will probably end up being a conversation between me and Hunter again.

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year!

Tax season! Many will find that absurd, but for me, tax time is when I get to call in that interest-free loan I've been extending to the U.S. Government for 13 months.

This year's refund: $1240.00

Not too shabby, am I right? That's becuase as a married student with high tuition filing jointly, our total income tax for the year was $0. Education deductions, sales tax deduction (that's right- you get a deduction just becuase if the insanely high TN sales tax).... It's great. I highly recommend TurboTax. For just $10-20 (depending on which version), you get all this done and transferred to your bank in about 10 days.

Now what do I do with that $1240? I guess I have to share it with the wife, since she accounted for about 85% of the income.

How to Do What You Love

this is a really articulate and insightful article about, well, figuring out what to do in life. i mean, it's just really well thought out. and it's not that all the information is new or unknown to you, but you've probably never had it put into words this clearly. check it out.

How to Do What You Love


oh and if anyone wants to see Sword of Doom, you probably might shouldn't get your hopes up too high about loving the ending.

Remember our discussion about "Jumping the Shark?"

From Arrested Development trivia

-In the episode "Motherboy XXX", Barry Zuckerkorn (played by Henry Winkler) says, "I missed breakfast, so I'm on my way to Burger King" and then jumps over the dead shark on the pier. This is, of course, a reference to Henry Winkler's character in "Happy Days" (1974) jumping over a shark while on water-skis, signaling the moment when that show lost its relevance. The phrase "Jumping The Shark" was made popular in the 1990's as a metaphor for a television show reaches its peak.

It's amazing how much cross reference there is in this series.

One more interesting one:

-Amy Poehler who plays G.O.B's accidental wife in many season 1 episodes is in fact Will Arnett's (The actor who plays G.O.B.) wife.

Al Terego's Double Anal Alternatives

so this was on Billy's page. it's this porn star's IMDb page and it's impressive. 1622 films as an actor. 1622! insane. but what's awesome are the titles. you just have to scroll through and see some of them. the title up there is No.324. it's just a goldmine for porn titles. you gotta see No.146. it cuts straight to heart of the subject matter at hand.

some are bit confusing however, such as, Butt Motors and Fame Is a Whore On Butt Row.

You lucky Nashville bastards!

In the end, Hunter is probably the only one that would be interested in this of all of you folks that currently reside in and around the Nashville area. I thought I'd post the link anyway. If you can at least make it to see Seven Samurai, it would be worth it.

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22208

Guerolito

i don't how many of you heard last year's Guero by Beck. i thought it was alright, but wasn't crazy about it. anyway, he just released another one called Guerolito which is an album consisting of all the Guero songs remixed by different people. it's really awesome. i like them a lot better than the originals. so if you dug Guero i highly recommend you check out Guerolito.



oh and this is awesome too: pictures of stuff right as it breaks/explodes (courtesy of billiard enterprises)



okay and i just found this...

This just in: "Arrested Development" season (series?) finale scheduled...against Olympics opening ceremony

fox must be trying to get rid of it. is that the only open time slot? come on!

Title of the Song

I can't remember if I've shown any of you this, but it is hilarious and worth listening to again if you have already heard it.



Title of the Song

Matt, this should sound very familiar. You have probably sung dozens of variations of this song.

Sorry, you have to ignore the annoying Bob & Tom laughter.

links... of suspense!

i thought these were interesting so... whatever.

Top 50 Music Videos Of 2005

Cute Overload (i just thought this one was funny)

100 things we didn't know this time last year

so how many bands do even recognize on the Top 50 list?

4 left(?)

did anyone see monday's Arrested Development? it was hilarious. i think maybe the best this season (although i loved the ending after Charlize walked across the pool).

i dont think anybody knows when the last 4 episodes are going to be. but here are some interesting articles on that last show...

Save Our Bluths. Please.

Arrested Development: Save Our Bluths

has anyone else heard of the term 'jumping the shark'? i hadn't.

there are many more articles if you google 'save our bluths' or 'save the bluths' (or some variation of that).

Is Scott old, or what?

Jeez, Scott is old. I mean 24 is pretty freakin' old, am I right here people? He's just so...old.
Happy belated birthday, amigo.

Back to work

Man, I really enjoyed my 10 days off. Luckily the federal government likes them some 3-day weekends. I went with Nina to see her family in southern California over Christmas (specifically in the Laguna Hills/Irvine area). I imagine it was a lot like Ukraine except with less flowering plants, Best Buys, and people wearing stupid looking boots. It seriously looks like people are eviscerating opossums and sticking their feet into their still warm carcasses. That or murdering sherpas for their shoes. It's ridiculous. I managed to get into Disneyland on a day that it sold out, which I didn't even realize could happen. Apparently there were 80,000 people there that day. Needless to say, there was still an hour-long line for Space Mountain at 10:30 in the evening. Overall the trip was good and provided me with a much needed escape from the tedium and monotony that is my job.
Also, if anyone is thinking of flying United, I would heartily advise against it. We were delayed 3 hours leaving Denver on Christmas day, and arrived to find that none of the luggage we checked had arrived with us. On the way back I sat on the runway for 20 minutes at Denver, waiting for the plane at our gate to leave. They seem very poorly run in general, is the main bullet point of this paragraph.

On the way home

Amazingly, the international terminal at Kiev Borispol Airport has free wireless interent. This amazes me since Oksana's family doesn't even have a PHONE.

Borispol airport has two terminals: Domestic and International. The international terminal is a very chic western-european-like building with duty free shopping, fancy gadgets, and Ukrainians who speak understandable English. The domestic terminal is basically a smokey watering hole that happens to have buses that drive over to little plans you can board. Apparently nobody flies within Ukraine, so the domestic terminal is unimpressive. Kiev is a major international crossroad, though, so the international is nice.

Anyway, just checking in. I have gifts for all, so be careful with your smart ass remarks- you might get un-gifted.

See you soon and someone tell me what's going on for New Years.

Hello From ukraine

I have 2 minutes and 30 seconds to write and post this. Based on the slow internet speed. I have about 1:30 to get it done.

Ukraine is nice. People don't have some luxuries, but there is a nice simplicity and enjoyment of life that is often missing in the US. Oksana's family is wonderful, they love me and are very patient with my language barrier. Buses are crowded (they are really vans for 20 people often filled with 40 people.)

Time running out.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bird Flu

For those of you who may be worried (I have recieved some sporatic e-mail concern)

FAQ:

Q. Aren't you worried about getting bird flu?

A. No, no Ukrainian person has contracted bird flu yet

Q. Doesn't that look close?

A. No, given the fact that Ukraine is the largest country in Europe proper (thus not including Russia), it is still quite far.

Q. Aren't you going to be visiting some of Oksana's family who may live in villages?

A. Yes, but none of them live remotely near there.

bam.

who's pumped?

ok... i havnt seen many movies all year... really been a slow year for me with pharm school and there being not as many good moves that i want to see... but man, i am pumped about Kong... the reviews just came out today and check this out... from such nationally reputable news sources as :

hicago Sun-Times	4 stars/4	"… magnificent entertainment."
Entertainment Weekly	A	"[Jackson is] the most gifted big-picture artist working today, a master of epics from a human-eye view who excels at employing 21st-century technological wizardry to suit the needs of ageless, personal storytelling."
Los Angeles Times	N/A	"… big, nerve-jangling, spectacular …"
New York Daily News	4 stars/4	"What a movie!"
New York Post	4 stars/4	"… stupendous, supersized remake …"
The New York Times	N/A	"… as memorable for its sweetness as for its sensationalism."
Rolling Stone	4 stars/4	"Here is the jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-stopping movie epic we've been waiting for all year."
USA Today	3½ stars/4	"Jackson is a visionary filmmaker who is not only a technical wizard but also a master storyteller."
Variety	N/A	"Almost too much of a good thing … a stupendous adventure …"

dang you, USA today and your lack of half a star... who's pumped?!

FRIDAY 7:30ish, we are gonna see this at Opry mills- see you there!

happy christmahoniqwanzika!

Hey guys… just thought I might get in a pre-holiday update. Things are going good… as VP I’m responsible for our annual window display project. This years topic I’ve decided will be avian flu. I drew up a brochure which everyone seems to like… on the front it says “Avian Flu: and YOU” and there is a picture of a little cute chicken and next to him a guy is looking on in horror… I think its kind of funny, but yeah… had them printed up on canary yellow paper, about 1,000 and I distributed them out to the different class mates who will give them out at their pharmacies over the holidays. Next semester, the real project kicks in and we go around to about 12 locations through the months of January and February and do about a 3 hour display (in the process of making a large display/tri fold board with Avian Flu info) event at each location, we also have a table to the side for a free hypertension screening at each event, kind of a double whammi… so to speak… I passed my patient evaluation practical, and that was fun… my professor was presenting with cardiac, pulmonary, ENT (ear nose throat) , and extremity abnormalities so I got to poke and prod them, and stick that otoscope in their ears.. and feel their feet, ect… and I got a A on that part which made me feel good, and I passed the part where we had to take our stethoscopes and use cuff and check the BP on a fake arm that has been programmed to have a specific blood pressure from a computer that it is plugged up to, we had to get within 6 points on either systolic or diastolic… and I got that too! Woot… so I feel good… I also pulled a B in kinetics when all the class averages on the tests were in the low 70s… its kind of like the calculus, statistics, and physics of drugs all rolled into one…which is hard to explain, so i wont try which i'm sure makes you guys happy on multiple levels! but i could tell you some cool sounding stuff... hehe ok, gotta go study just afeeeew more hours before i knock this (Therapeutics-dang) final out. wish me luck- i am gonna need it...

horrible video game covers

(and if you like Joe Blade 2, you're gonna love the original!)




you gotta check out this gallery of bad video game covers that billy sent me. they are so terrible. i can't even imagine how the actual game would be if this artwork is any indication of the game's budget.

(who's idea of graffiti is writing "SCUM" on a brick wall?)

there are so many worse ones. such as...




i'm not sure what "anirog" means, but i'm pretty sure it's "obese" in another language. and are those bananas flying out of the anirog monkey?

can i get that with extra MAO?

oh cool... thats a really good question that i didnt really know much about till i got here, and then, its like when you hear in on drug commercials it really stands out becuse instead of technical sciency talk, its something you are comfortable with and understand... its interresting how that happens...

MAOIs.. this stands for "mono amine oxidase inhibitor(s)"... MAO is an enzyme and the inhibitors... inhibit it. So we know that much, so what does MAO do normally? Well, it functions to break down neurotransmitters (seritonin- heard of SSRIs?-, norepiniephrine, dopamine).

SO- if you inhibit the endogenous (in your body) way of keeping those neurotransmitters down, there will be a higher concentration of them... now, these three neurotransmitters in particular are linked to depression when people have decreased levels of them... so the rationale is that if you can boost them up, you can make someone feel happier... there are only 3 still on the market- isocarboxazid, phenelzine, and tranylcypromine (i had to look those up cause they are rarely used)...

interrestingly, studies have also shown that natural remedies such as exercise will have the same effect of levels of these neurotransmitters as it was clearly shown that runners had higher serationin levels... not to be confused with the endorphins that cause the "runner's high"... thats a differnt issue all together...

oh and i didnt answer your question... ok... so thats how they work... there are lots of drugs you wouldnt want to take with MAOIs because there are lots of drugs that also interfere with the concentration or affinity of those same neurotransmitters... if you remove your body's ability to downregulate them, AND you take something else that boosts them up, or causes even a minor increase in any one of those neurotransmitters, you will see dramatic effects... kinda like... if you took away the kindergarden teacher (MAO) and then gave all the 6 year olds speed (drug that potentiates MAO effects)... it would just be crazyness because not only could you not control them because of the lack of the teacher, they would be running around like crazy breaking stuff because you juiced them up...

you can even get neurological problems when you take MAOIs and certain foods! i'm sure you have heard about that... tyramine, a common ingredient in olives, wine, cheese, turkey... ect... acts as a pseudotransmitter because of its similar structure to norepinephrine... it is normally broken down just fine with you have functional MAO enzymes, but when you knock them out, you flood the synapse with extra neurotransmitters... why would it make you really tired you might ask? doesnt it INCREASE the amount of excitatory chemicals in the synapse?! (although you didnt ask) becuase while it binds to the norepinephrine (NE) receptors, it blocks them (antagonist) instead of activating them... NE is usually for making you pumped up and excited and ready to run away from the dog that is chasing you, if you take the opposite of that, you get sedation, lethargy, ect...

did that answer your question?

An abbreviated sports rant

I know there aren't a ton of sports fans on this blog, but I feel like venting. I guess since many of you are UT fans and alumni, you can enlighten me a bit on this subject:

I don't know if it is just the Titans-fan-and-thus-anti-Colts in me talking, but, Why does everyone say Peyton Manning is so "classy" and "modest"? Case in point:

- On field demeanor. Ever notice that when a play goes wrong, he acts like a 6th grader yelling at the poor fat kid? When someone drops as ball or runs the wrong route, we see Peyton putting up his arms, scowling, and demanding an explanation. No I understand that sometimes it is someone else's fault. Sometimes, though, it is Peyton's fault. Maybe we should consider that all that pre-snap pageantry confuses the offense and thus causes missteps. Who knows. Commentators call this "competitive." I call it "immature." Ever look at Steve McNair when something goes wrong? I'm not saying McNair is HALF as good as Manning, because he's not, but his on field demeanor can teach little Peyton something. McNair may look frustrated, but, unlike Peyton, he doesn't look like he's thinking "Why is everyone but me such a colossal fuck-up?"

- Unsportsmanlike conduct. The colts, under Manning's direction, have adopted a new questionably-fair tactic. I'll preface this by saying that the rules absolutely allow it. Manning like to rush his offense to the snap to force an illegal substitution penalty (too many men) on the defense. Basically he's vying for a free five yard penalty. Yes, it is perfectly legal, but is that the sort of behavior we expect from "professionals"? I might understand it in a close game or on a 4th down, but otherwise it just seems... classless? Immature? Fine, though, it is the defense's fault and they should hustle, I agree. However what he did at the end of the Titans game yesterday really pisses me off. At the end of the first half, the colts took a knee with about 35 seconds left (thus APPARENTLY running the clock out to halftime). When the players (and coaches and officials and everyone else) started walking toward the locker rooms, Manning tries to rush his offense out to run a play and get a cheap touchdown. Mind you, they were leading 14-3 (and eventually won 35-3). There was absolutely nobody who thought their "perfect record" was in danger at this point. He didn't pull it off since even his cronies didn't realize he was that much of a douchebag. The Titans are an awful team this year. Why kick them while they're down? I might understand if there were alot of threats and boasts about the Titans beating the Colts, and a well deserved putting in the place was needed. But no such circumstances existed.

- Interview "modesty" and "classiness" In interviews he is sooooo classy and modest. Has anyone ever heard of false modesty? I don't know if everyone is so stunned by his awesomeness and glory to notice, but he doesn't come across as a particularly genuine person. It is hard to notice someone being disingenuous when all you can think about is how wonderful it would be to filter your coffee through his jock strap. Again, maybe it is just my bias as a Titans fan.

- Manning false royalty. This is more reflected in kid-brother Eli, but the Mannings seem to have a sense of entitlement. They think they are football's royal family. Newsflash, Archie wasn't really that good. Not even top 10 if you ask me. But I honestly don't know much about football history.

That's it. UT/Colts/Manning fans feel free to comment.

What is the DEAL with MAOI's, Scott?

Look, nobody is posting and I have this pharmaceutical question for Scott. I figured I'd share it with everyone since an overly-technical question an answer post is better than, well, nothing (although I understand some may disagree).

Why do so many drugs say you can't take it if you are taking an MAOI? I hear about it all the time on TV and read them on labels (cough syrup, this morning, for instance). What's the deal? Explain to me in (relatively) laymen's terms.

The label said to consult a doctor or pharmacist. I figure since I'm not actually taking an MAOI (to my knowledge), I'll be ok with consulting a pharmacy student.


Check out this high quality precision digital photograph taken with my telephone:



The title says "Congratulations to the 2006-2007 Vanbderbilt Moot Court Board:"

I'm the fifth one down on the left. Wa-hoo!

Meanwhile... exam season is here and I am getting my ass kicked for my refusal to work hard during the semester. Today, Professional responsibility, Wednesday, Evidence, Friday, International Law, Monday, Con Law II, and Wednesday, Employment Law. Then the following Sunday we leave for Ukraine (bon voyage!).

How's everyone else doing?

look here, friends

welcome to Josh Presents: How to Post a Link

Let's start with a new post!





Next, let's copy the location we want to link to!





After this, we can go back to our blog entry and highlight the text we want to make a link and proceed to click on the hyperlink button.





We will then "paste" the desired link location into the box prompting us for the hyperlink.





After clicking "OK", it should appear as so...





Congradulations, you've successfully posted a hyperlink!






Below is an actual link i've posted. It is, of course, merely a general example to go by. However, once you've mastered "hyperlinking" you can link to virtually anything! Even pictures!

hey look at me posting a link!


Good luck and have fun!

Watch out!

Cautionary tale for the hoilday online shopping season...

http://thomashawk.com/2005/11/priceritephoto-abusive-bait-and-switch.html

Also, my computer won't post this as a link. Get off me.

soooo...

jess and i got hit by a drunk driver saturday night.

what have you guys been up to?

Poor Penn

NPR's This I Believe : There is No God

this makes me sad for Penn. i mean, from a worldy standpoint, it's actually a pretty intelligent way of looking at it. but this is the type of reaction that scares me so much about all the Christian "press" our country has gotten in the recent years. it's so sad (and frustrating) that people think believing in God means you have to be close-minded and stubborn (and greedy? geez). i just hate the fact that this is the God so many people think they're not believing in.



also - it just occured to me that i seem to post "religious" entries fairly often (recently). i'm really not trying to incite argument, i just find them interesting and relevant to everyone. (and i seem to say "just" a lot.)

schweet

yellow... well... i'll be gone for afew days (starting tomorrow) so i figured i'd leave with a scott update... -- took a big test on monday, and i dont even want to talk about it... one of the worsts tests i've had in awhile... i wont go into that..
had a big party at the house last night... probably 40ish people there. it guess it was more like a "get together" than a party... i put together a card game on the second floor- there were 9 of us up there... everyone else was screaming bloody murder downstairs playing cranium... when asked if i wanted to play i had to say "sorry... i'm kinda burnt out on this one from highschool.."
(with the one big difference here being that several people were lobbying for me to be on their teams instead of lobbying for me NOT to be on their team (BRYAN and HG!)) but we all had a good time and i got to bed by 2ish... I'm gonna be "house manager" next year and i'm trying to find two people to come and fill the two spots that will be left at the end of the school year... i've already got one guy (one of the three validictorians) ((speaking of that... since that weired thing happened to me in the car, i've discovered that two of my other friends were also validictorians... what the crap??... )) for next year and he is really nice... looking for #2 now... i figure i could always open it up for people to apply to get im but i'd rather hand-pick my roommates!

Kirk, a pharmacist and recent grad approaced me last night and gave me this special fraternity pin and says he gives a couple away every year, one to the president, and one to another person who he thinks has gone above and beyond their duties as a member of the fraternity. so i thought that was cool... he also said something to the effect of he knew he always gave me a hard time last year but he really appreciated what i was doing and thoight i was a nice/respectable guy... so that was cool of him.- he was house manager last year. i've talked to him some and he says its really fun working as a pharmacist, he said that the school here definitly overprepared him and he feels almost bored sometimes, but then again he is a genious... so i think alot of things are easy for him... he says he is very satisfied with his pay:work ratio now that he is a pharmacist and said its a good feeling to finally get out and do what he had studied 8 years to do... and the getting paid part he said was a large plus, for lack of a better phrase... speaking of getting paid... its time for me to go to class for afew hours- if my calculations are correct... 0.00 dollars per hour for the next two hours SHOULD rake me in some pretty nice cash... thats pretty schweet... can i get that in twentys?

we're a long way from college

so does anyone else not get this friday off?

i feel like i'm taking crazy pills. the building where my office is located is closed, but my office is still coming in to work.

what's the point of destroying a perfectly good 4 day weekend??

i'm a little t.o.ed

VANDERBILT 28, TENNESSEE 24

Two months ago, I told Josh that Vanderbilt would BEAT Tennessee this season... and I was mocked...

Now I admit this IS probably pulling a Scott [Burka]

I got this in my e-mail from one of my Evidence classmates: (You need sound)

http://blawgcoop.com/commons/hearsay.wmv

OK, so I realize this is pulling a Scott and, in fact, Scott once posted a video that was apparently particularly funny to a pharm student. I watched it and didn't really get it.

I've done my best examination of this and determined as independently as possible that I sincerely believe this has independent humorous value. I think the music plus the poses are funny, the technical information about evidence is just icing on the cake for me.

I might be wrong, though, and I apologize if I am.


P.S. LOL- I just did a spellcheck on this post, and it tried to correct "pharm" to "porn." Are you a porn student Scott?

3 out of 3?

so i'm going to this church thing tonight with three of my classmates here in pharmacy school... and we are talking about stuff and i tell them a story about last christmas and gift giving and stuff and i mentioned something about mandy had gotten my present kinda early (i dont remember exactly when) but maybe it was like late january or the first of december... and i made a comment to the effect of "well she was validictorian and i think those people tend to be really organized and get things done earlier than the slackers such as myself" (or something to that effect, i meant it in a good way)- and one of them said... well (chuckle) i dont think ALL validictorians are like that, and then one of the other of the three of them said something else to that effect, and the third one also chuckled to themselves and said they agreed... and i was like... "wait a second.....was one of you also validictorian of their respective highschool?".... and they all laughed and nodded and then looked at eachother and realized that in fact all three of them from their respective highschools had been #1 in their class..... and i was like "what the crap?" and we had a funny moment... i said something to the effect of "i dont think i can TALK to you guys any more... sheesh"... you should have been there...

Did anyone else miss this or just me?

On 9-22-05 Pappert wrote:

"Oh, on a minor side note: I GOT A CELL PHONE. Convenience finally won out over necessity. If you would like to call me on it, my number is (970) 310-8722. It is now my only number, so don't bother with the old one"

He called me last night and insisted he did in fact post his new CELL PHONE NUMBER. I find it odd that nobody commented on it.

Did anyone else notice?

Moot Court Update

So, my partner Aaron and I did advance to the second round of Moot Court. That means that we were one of the top 16 teams out of 79. Our second round of arguments was last night. I was a little nervous, but was fine once I began talking. Our chief justice for the round was the Moot Court Board's chief justice. She is the student in charge of the administration of the competition. She was very tough, asked questions relentlessly, and, unlike the first round, her feedback had a much more constructively critical tone than a praising one. Our adversary team was pretty good. The first guy was extremely smooth, very well spoken, like a seasoned politician. His partner was also very good, just not as smooth.

We found out this morning that NEITHER of our teams advanced to the quarter finals. That surprised me. I thought that they DEFINATELY would and we MIGHT. The 8 teams (16 people) who advanced to the quarter finals automatically get onto next year's moot court board. Then 14 individuals are selected among those not making it to the quarter finals based on the best scores in the first round. I was selected as one of these "at large" Moot Court Board members and the smooth talkin guy from last night was too. Neither of our partners made it.

I have mixed feelings. It is nice to get some genuine recognition. During hiring season, almost all the employers list "Law Review or Moot Court Board preferred" in their hiring criteria. It's considered one of those things that sets a law student apart in skill. It isn't as prestigious as writing for the journal (Law Review), but still quite distinguishing.

Of course, I already have a job, so it won't help me a huge amount unless I decide to interview again next year. It could also be helpful if I decide to leave my firm a few years after law school. Headhunters look for that sort of thing no matter how long a person has been out of law school.

The other crappy thing is now I have to do a bunch of extra work next year. I get a pass/fail credit for it, but it is a significant time committment. I guess I shouldn't complain, though, since I do get a little recognition.

dudley must take after his mom in his love of sun worship. look at those spread-eagle legs! 

Unicorns, sunshine, and rainbows

Sorry about the title. I was going for soothing and positive, but ended up more on the gay side. Just thought I'd check in during this latest flurry of activity with a brief update. I received my MCAT scores last month and was...disappointed to say the least. Honestly, it depressed the crap out of me. As my GPA was acceptable, but not outstanding, I was counting on my MCAT scores to make me feel more confident about my possible admission to CU Denver. This turned out to not be the case. So, unless they are captivated by my essay, or impressed by the fact that I work for the CDC, I may very well find myself sitting on my ass for another year trying to figure out what to do with my life. I'll likely try the MCAT again in April in hopes of starting the following year, but who knows how this will all work out in the end. I really loathe the thought of not progressing at all for another year.
One thing that does make me happy is the impending release of the Xbox 360. I pre-ordered mine in mid-May, so I will receive it on the launch day. I think I am one of the few of us who still play many games with regularity, so many of you will likely be unaware/unconcerned with this event.
Bryan: I hope all goes well with your discounted 360 plan. Would you mind if I resurrected FR-DOT-BRYAN on Perfect Dark Zero for old time's sake?
What were everyone else's names on that game? I think mine was She-beast, a horrible she-male chimera of sorts.
If anyone has a Playstation 2, you should check out Shadow of the Colossus and Resident Evil 4. Both are superb games, and well worth your time. Crap, time to leave. Hope everyone is well. Later.

dci?

HOWS THIS FOR A LINK, JOSH?!

this is a video of the "blue devils" from concord, CA doing a brass warmup before quarterfinals in parking lot outside the Patriots' new stadium in foxboro, MA- you DONT have to watch this... this is only for those who have 2.5 minutes and are interrested... my only request- if you watch it- feel free to skip the first 50 seconds if you must, but the last minute and a half are what i'm trying to show you- and also- you've gotta have it turned up to appreciate it (despite the horrible recording)

this is DCI... and for those of you out of the know... i played one of the really big instruments there in the middle (it was heavy...)... this is not my group, but a group that placed 4th by 0.8 points (on a 100 point scale) to my group who placed 5th... so same idea--- watch the conductor in the middle when he points around the arc and how the sound changes--- i guess for those of you who have never played a wind instrument, this might seem odd to you, or might not mean anything- but please believe me that this is very impressive to those of us who have played at one time-- getting 68 brass players to play precisely in tune with the same accents, slurs, articulations, and rythms, with that immense kind of power that they generate- sounds like a synthesizer on first listen...

Nooooooooooooo!

Bad news for 'Arrested'

this world was never good enough for you.



follow-up: go here to help save Arrested Development!

(i'm #646)

My Free* XBOX 360

So I got a free* xbox 360!

I went to a link like this one and did everything I am required to do to get a free* xbox 360.

Here is/are the catch[s]:

You have to do all these promotional offers. Yes, you have to spend money. No, it is not nearly as much as paying out of pocket for a free* xbox 360. Here's what I did:

-Free Trial of AOL dialup- FREE (no asterisk) as long as you cancel within 30 days
-Free Trial of AOL broadband- FREE (no asterisk) as long as you cancel within 30 days
-One month of Earthlink dialup- $9.95 as long as you cancel within the first month
-One month of PeoplePC- $7.95 as long as I cancel before rebilling
-PetMeds Online- $40. I need[ed] this anyway [before my dog got pulverized by a Goodyear]
-SouthBeach Diet online- $7. I think $65 prebilled, but as long as you cancel within the first week, they refund you the balance
-Orexis [penis enahancement supplement]- $45, don't need it, but still cheaper than my free* xbox 360 at retail price. I'll try to resell it on e-bay
-Longevity [old age prevention supplement]- $45 I'm aa least 30 years from need this, but again, still well under the full retail price of my free* xbox 360
-Work from home starter kit- $45. I have already gotten credit for this and it hasn't arrived yet, which means I can refuse shipment and not pay (plus it has a 90 day refund guarantee less shipping)


By my tally, I put about $160 dollars into the offer BEFORE counting any return I get on selling Orexis or Longevity on e-bay. I am getting the FULL free* xbox 360 system (the $399 one with the wireless controller and the hard drive).

Here's the second catch. Due to high demand, they won't guarantee I'll get it in any timely manner. They offered me a $399 check isntead. The down side is I have to go to wal-mart at midnight on the 22nd to get one AND I have to pay the tax ($45 or so). But still, that puts me at about $200 for a $400 system (really a $445 system after tax).

this is killing me

So my leg is killing me… very slowly… I am convinced of it… to those of you who can walk or run without pain- please please please get out and do something, because one day you might end up like me. I know I used to be a “downer” about my image or girls… and saying depressing things might have even been something that some of you associated with my general comments back in high school (about girls) and undergrad (still- mostly about girls)… but I really think the last several years since my 2003 drum corps experience I have been more of a happy and satisfied person in general… but I’ve got to tell you guys the truth- this thing is just killing me. Who would have thought that something like a hip/thigh/knee injury could permeate so many aspects of life- I would have told you a year ago that if I had this injury, it wouldn't affect that much in my life, but I cant emphasize how wrong I was… I’ve gained about 25 pounds since the injury, many of my clothes don’t fit, or fit too tightly to be comfortable, I cant play sports with my friends or do any form of exercise that involves “moving”, my sleep has a chunk of about an hour to an hour and a half taken away every single night (every-single-night) and has been like that for over 5 months (APPRECIATE YOUR FULL NIGHT’S SLEEP), the pain prevents me from paying full attention in class= my grades are suffering… I feel horrible about my body so I don’t even think about talking to girls… its just killing me… I hate to be “that guy”… but its just killing me… and I just don’t think that anyone believes me anymore… I figured I’d do some research on “chronic bursitis” and check out some discussion groups and stuff, and it actually probably made it worse… runners were extremely depressed, gained weight, said that it was “ruining their lives”… one person who said he had had it since 1995 said he had contemplated suicide several times… now… of course I would never think of that… but this whole thing has gone too far- this is just ridiculous… what is wrong with my body?! Everyone asks me every day in class how I am doing as I walk in wincing in pain, and I say “well…I’m doing the best I can!” and I try so hard to smile and pretend to be not in pain, and I do a good job of hiding it because they don’t need to be burdened with it, there isn’t anything they can do… but its hard to keep it all inside every day and secretly think that this is hopeless and that its only going to get worse… if this ever gets corrected I will forever value the ABILITY to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time, and the ability to GET OUT and use my legs for the things like running, or Frisbee that I always participated in as a regular 20-something guy in this world… dang it… this is really killing me. (or I could talk about pharmacy school like I did last year?)

You Catholics. Always Pushing the Envelope.

Evolution in the bible, says Vatican

My Good Reviews

"You handle questions as well as any appellate lawyer I've ever seen"
- Nashville attorney acting as Moot Court Justice

"Your ability to make concessions without weakening your argument gives you great credibility"
- [Different] Nashville attorney acting as Moot Court Justice

"You really look like a lawyer up there. You know what you're doing, you like what you're doing, and I think you'd be willing to do it all night if we asked."
- Vanderbilt Vice-Chancellor David Williams acting as Moot Court Justice

What's all this about, you say? Well, I just finished the first round of the Vanderbilt Intramural Appellate Advocacy Competition (aka Moot Court). This is an activity for 2nd year law students to participate in a pretend appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Not to be confused with Mock Trial, Moot Court involves writing a brief and delivering two rounds of oral advocacy (one "on-brief" and one "off-brief) to a panel of three "justices". It is a one credit pass/fail activity.

I just finished it, and those are some of the comments I got. I'm not a great writer, but I feel like I did an awesome job with the speaking part. I'm not really one for tooting my own horn, but this is a big accomplishment. It is hard to get accolades at Vanderbilt because of the level of competition.

It is possible that I will advance to the next round of the tournament. If it were only my oral advocacy, I definitely would. Unfortunately, half my grade is my brief, which wasn't exactly good considering I used 2 out of the 30 allotted days to write it. If I make it through the next two rounds, I'd be on the Moot Court Board which administers the competition. It is an honor second only to writing for the Law Review. We'll see.

Shout out to Scott!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/11/07/pharmacist.shortage.ap/index.html

My Payphone

I got hold of a payphone for free. They go for quite alot on Ebay, so I'm glad to get this one for free. The only problem is that it is locked up and no keys came with it. I was wondering if anyone could suggest a workaround. From doing some online searches, payphones locks can be tough to pick. My first step would be to try the local phone company. However I don't think TDS Telecom keeps payphones maintained. So they might not be of much help.

All I really want to do is to disable the coin deposit requirement and find where you would plug in the phone cable (currently I can't find the plug on it). I want to mount it in my kitchen for the coolness factor.